Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Softball Places Four On All-Region First Team

May 21, 2001

Outfielders Jenny Kriech and Lizzy Lemire, catcher Jarrah Myers and pitcher Kristin Schmidt were all named first-team Louisville Slugger all-Mideast Region selections last week, while pitcher Jennifer Sharron and shortstop Melanie Alkire earned second-team honors. Notre Dame’s six selections were the most in school history and the most by any other team in the region. Iowa and DePaul were second with three selections each.

Kriech, a junior from Indianapolis, Ind., earned the first all-region honor of her career after leading the Irish in batting average much of the season. The rightfielder finished the season with a .369 batting average, pounding out 72 hits in the leadoff spot, with eight doubles and a Notre Dame record 10 triples in 2001. She also has 27 RBI and 19 stolen bases with an on-base percentage of .444. Kriech earned her third consecutive first-team all-BIG EAST honor last week.

Lemire was named a first-team all-region selection after being named to the second team in both 1999 and 2000. The 2001 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Lemire hit .324 with 60 hits, 38 runs scored and 38 RBI in 61 games. The senior co-captain from Irvine, Calif., also has five game-winning hits. She is a three-time first-team all-BIG EAST selection after winning second-team honors as a freshman.

Myers has been the offensive leader for the Irish this season, helping the team to a 54-7 record and a No. 8 national ranking. The junior from Carbondale, Kan., is led the team with a .380 batting average, seven home runs and 41 RBI. She also has scored 43 runs and stolen 12 bases, while boasting robust .620 slugging and .992 fielding percentages at the catcher position. A second-team all-BIG EAST selection in 2001, this is the first all-region honor for Myers in her career. Myers was also the 1999 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and earned first-team all-BIG EAST honors in 2000. She is also a third-team Verizon Academic All-American.

A freshman from Houston, Texas, Schmidt has joined senior Jennifer Sharron to dominate the pitching circle for the Irish this season. The 2001 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, Schmidt finished with a 27-3 record and a 0.55 earned-run average. She gave up just 16 earned runs in 2001, while striking out 247 batters in 204.0 innings pitched. A first-team all-BIG EAST selection, Schmidt became only the third pitcher in BIG EAST history not to give up a run in conference play.

Sharron, a senior co-captain from Agoura Hills, Calif., posted a 27-4 record and a 1.13 earned-run average in 33 appearances this season. Sharron became the first pitcher in conference history to earn BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year honors four consecutive seasons. A second-team American Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American in 2000, Sharron also earned first-team all-region honors in 2000, and has been named a first-team all-BIG EAST selection from 1998-2001. She is first in the Notre Dame career record books in wins (88) and starts (113) and second in complete games (80), shutouts (37) and strikeouts (717). The 2001 BIG EAST Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year from Notre Dame, Sharron was named a Verizon Academic All-District honoree in 2001.

A senior co-captain from Union City, Calif., Alkire is hitting .321 with 63 hits, 37 runs scored and 30 RBI in 2001. A second-team All-American in 2000 and a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year, Alkire earned all-BIG EAST honors for the third consecutive season last week. She was a first-team all-region selection in 1999 and 2000 and the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player in 2000.